Labor Gallops To Victory In The West; Court Defeated After Two Terms

Feb 11 – 2.30am – Western Australian Premier Richard Court has conceded defeat in yesterday’s State election, whilst Geoff Gallop has proclaimed the ALP the “party of the people”.

The ALP appears to have won an additional 16 seats in the election, 5 more than required for victory.

A resurgent One Nation has won around 10% of the statewide vote, and up to 30% in some rural electorates.

The ALP’s two-party-preferred vote is around 53%, the beneficiary of a One Nation decision to preference against sitting members.

One Nation looks set to win 3 seats in the Legislative Council and may hold the balance of power.

There are now 5 out of 6 State Labor governments in Australia. Peter Beattie’s Queensland Labor government faces the electorate next weekend. Beattie is tipped to demolish the conservative coalition.

The Western Australian result will unsettle the Federal Government, itself facing an election by the end of this year, and reeling from problems such as the GST and petrol prices.

Labor Government Elected In Western Australia

Feb 11 – 12.40am – As distribution of preferences takes place in the Western Australian election, it has become apparent that the decision by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to direct preferences against sitting members has contributed to the defeat of Richard Court’s Liberal-National Party government.

Whilst commentators are loath to call the result for Labor, the seats won by Geoff Gallop’s Opposition are mounting.

As preferences are distributed, Labor’s lead in crucial seats is widening. Green preferences are also heavily favouring Labor.

W.A. Election Results Still Uncertain, But ALP Is Near To Victory

Feb 11 – 12.10am – It is the night of the “others” in Western Australia as counting in the State election shows a swing against the Liberal-National Party government of nearly 7%. One Nation is polling up to 10% of the vote statewide and much more in rural areas, the ALP has won at least 8 seats from the government, but strong support for third party candidates makes it difficult to be certain what the final outcome will be.

There is no certainty that preferences from One Nation and other minor party candidates will flow as directed by those parties.

The ALP appears to have won the seats of Mandurah, Southern River, Yokine, Ballajura, Innaloo, Joondalup and Bunbury. It is unexpectedly ahead in seats such as Roleystone, Riverton, Swan Hills and Darling Range. It is losing in Kalgoorlie.

Some rural seats are producing remarkable results, with up to 40% of all votes being cast for groups other than the ALP, Liberals or Nationals. Until preferences are counted, the results will not be clear.

The Liberal Party has suffered around an 8% loss in its primary vote, whilst the ALP’s primary vote is up about 2%.

6% Swing Against Court Govt; One Nation Resurgent; Labor May Fall Short Of Victory

Feb 10 – 11.20pm – Richard Court’s Liberal Government is struggling to survive tonight as counting continues in the Western Australian election.

There has been a two-party-preferred swing against the coalition of around 6%. One Nation is polling around 8% in Perth seats and twice that in country areas. In some areas, One Nation is polling second.

The ALP appears to be picking up key marginal seats such as Ballajura, but is also struggling to survive in Kalgoorlie, whilst failing to win Pilbara from the sitting member it disendorsed.

Feb 10 – 10.30pm – Early figures show strong support for One Nation candidates in Western Australia.

Early figures also show the ALP winning the marginal seat of Ballajura from the Liberals. The electorate of Roleystone is showing a swing of up to 18% against the Liberals. There is a 5.5% swing to the ALP in Yokine.

The Liberal Party also faces a threat from Liberals For Forests candidates, particularly in Alfred Cove where Liberal member Doug Shave is struggling to hang on.

Counting Begins In Western Australian Election

Feb 10 – The polls have closed and counting has begun in the Western Australian State election. The Western Australian Electoral Commission is making results available through their website which is available by clicking here.

The Liberal Premier, Richard Court, is seeking a third term in office, after successive election wins in 1993 and 1996. He has already surpassed the record of his father, Sir Charles Court, who was Premier between 1974-1982.

Victory for Court would put him on track to surpass the record term of David Brand, Liberal Premier between 1959-71.

At the 1996 election, Court’s Liberal Party polled 39.9% of the primary vote and won 29 seats. Court governs in coalition with the National Party which polled 5.8% of the primary vote and won 6 seats.

The Opposition Labor Party, led by Geoff Gallop, polled 35.8% of the primary vote and won 19 seats. Following the decision by the member for Pilbara, Lary Graham, to sit as an Independent, the ALP’s numbers dropped to 18. The ALP needs to win Pilbara and another 10 seats to form a government.

In 1996, The Australian Democrats polled 5.1%, the Greens 4.7% and other parties and independents polled 8.7%. There are 3 independents in the Legislative Assembly.